The present invention relates to a wet processing system included in a semiconductor device production line and, more particularly, to the structure of a wafer carrier to be loaded with wafers.
A semiconductor device production line includes various kinds of wet processing, e.g., cleaning and etching. Each wet processing is implemented by a system having a bath filled with chemicals, a wafer carrier loaded with wafers and introducing them into the bath, and a transport jig for transporting the wafer carrier. This kind of wet processing system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61-170043. However, a problem with the conventional wet processing system is that because the wafer carrier is implemented as a box, the size of the bath is determined by the size of the carrier. As a result, more than necessary amounts of chemicals and pure water are consumed. Another problem is that the side walls of the carrier formed with a number of grooves obstruct the smooth flow of the liquids. This brings about the deposition of impurities on the wafers and thereby increases the cleaning time, among others.